We can finally discover from all angles the set 75043 AT-AP (717 pieces - $ 69.99) announced for January 2014 on the presentation box (and for March 2014 by other sources elsewhere ...).

In the box: Commander Gree Phase II, 1 x Wookie (Tarful?), 1 x Battle Droid, 1 x Battle Droid Commander and 1 x Super Battle Droid.

Click on the images below to view large versions.

Here is the first image of the set from the Star Wars range that LEGO presents at Comic Con: An AT-AP.

Set 75043 contains 717 pieces, its availability is announced for January 2014 at the US retail price of $ 69.99.

LEGO already produced this machine in 2008 with the 7671 AT-AP Walker set. 

More info to come ...

Back to the LEGO Star Wars side of the lineup with a quick set test 75234 AT-AP Walker (689 pieces - 74.99 €). Collectors are familiar with this set, or rather its content, which is only a barely revisited reissue of the set. 75043 AT-AP of 2014.

For others and especially those who remember the furtive appearance of the machine on the beaches of Kashyyyk in Episode III, this set will only be an opportunity to get the thing at a more reasonable price than that of the 2014 version still on sale in the aftermarket.

Even as a fan of Star Wars and related LEGO merchandise, I find it hard to get excited about this box. We can't fault this AT-AP for its overall appearance, quite faithful to the film's model, but it's a bit too rough for my taste when it comes to going into detail.

The shapes are there and the designer has undoubtedly done his best to respect the angles of the cabin of the machine. There are still some rather unsightly spaces here and there but this "new" version has obviously not been the subject of serious brainstorming to correct the small flaws of the 2014 version.

The side doors with their opaque glazing always disappear altogether in favor of hatches which do not even have a closing mechanism and only remain in place by the effect of gravity. Two black pieces are used to represent what I think is glass in the film.

Seen from behind, the machine is immediately less attractive with its Technic parts which constitute the framework of the legs and its many blue pins which spoil the rendering a little. The central foot, especially used on difficult terrain or in the firing phase with the main gun, folds up under the cabin and remains held by a somewhat minimalist latch that must be positioned correctly. Why not, it's always one more feature in a set that ultimately doesn't have a lot of it.

The most successful part of the machine is undoubtedly the spacious cockpit which can accommodate two minifigs and whose central console displays (via a sticker) a Droid Gunship on which the AT-AP is about to fire. You can choose between the attention to detail or a subliminal message in reference to the other essential set to reproduce the confrontation on the beaches of Kashyyyk, the box 75233 Droid Gunship.

No particular stability problem, whether on two or three legs and the rear a little bald also allows to catch the machine without accidentally moving the few movable panels of the cabin. The central leg is articulated so that it can be folded up and stored under the cabin, so it is not provided with a locking device in the unfolded version and only has an aesthetic function.

The three integrated cannons do not fire anything, you have to rely on the machine launcher placed at the top of the cabin to shoot stuff.

As for the minifigs, it's really vintage: No bi-injection legs and sometimes a little rough pad printing, especially on the glasses of the Kashyyyk Clone Trooper whose green background overflows with the black border. This minifigure is also only a barely modified version in terms of the legs of the one seen in the set 75151 Clone Turbo Tank (2014)

You also have to really want to play the seven mistakes game to spot the differences between the 2014 version of Commander Gree and this year's minifigure. It is the strap on the top of the left leg that changes color ... The torso and the helmet of the character are identical to those of the minifig delivered in the sets 75043 AT-AP et 75151 Clone Turbo Tank.

In the box, LEGO also provides an umpteenth version of Chewbacca already delivered in about ten boxes and two copies of the colorful Battle Droids already seen in the set. 75233 Droid Gunship. Too bad these two droids weren't accompanied here by even a minimalist version of the NR-N99 central track tank seen in the film, just to have a lot of fun right out of the box.

In short, as for the set 75233 Droid Gunship, nothing to cry out for creative genius here. This box will not become a staple of the LEGO Star Wars range but it will at least allow latecomers fans of Episode III or the animated series The Clone Wars to complete their collections. For LEGO, you always have to have an AT-AP on the shelf and this somewhat lazy reissue will do the trick for a few years.

74.99 € is way too expensive for what this box has to offer, but as usual Amazon sets the record straight with a price that makes it almost affordable:

[amazon box="B07FNMXLWF"]

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before March 8, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

Today we are quickly interested in the LEGO Star Wars set 75233 Droid Gunship (389 pieces - 59.99 €), which follows the set 75042 Droid Gunship marketed in 2014 which had itself in its time taken over the version of the set 7678 Droid Gunship launched in 2008. There is almost always a Droid Gunship on the shelves at LEGO.

We can also see here a message from LEGO to those who have gotten into the habit of storing these boxes in the hope that one day they will be able to finance their retirement in the Caribbean: reissues, reinterpretations and other "improved" remakes follow one another and the movement is accelerating.

No big update on this new droid seen in Episode III and aside from the few aesthetic evolutions of rigor we find the metapieces that allow to give it its rounded shape and the few guns that bring it a touch of playability. It will be difficult to do better on this scale anyway and the inevitable future reissues should be of the same barrel.

Once again, LEGO is taking a few liberties by putting a pilot in this standalone droid. We will not complain, this is the opportunity to get an additional Battle Droid that must be extended here in the cockpit ...

No unnecessary finishing touches under the droid, but the missile guns are very well integrated. Just push on an element to trigger the fire of two missiles at the same time. When deployed, the somewhat coarse landing gears touted in the official product description only loosely tilt the ship, which rests on its front guns.

LEGO still does not deign to provide a discreet or even transparent support to allow the object (flying) to be properly presented in a diorama or on a shelf. However, this is not a simple collector's reflection, I think that even the most playful fans would find their account there.

Be careful with the stickers to stick on the rounded parts, the youngest and those who are not very familiar with the exercise of the installation of these stickers will have to show patience and thoroughness not to disfigure the machine.

No balanced balance of power here, this box is only half of what it reproduces. You will have to go back to the cash register and afford the set 75234 AT-AP Walker (74.99 €) to be able to finally launch a credible confrontation on the beach of Kashyyyk. The bill will swell in passing, but when you love you (almost) not count.

I never thought I could write this one day, but the two Battle Droids provided in this box are actually the real stars of the product.

They are now a little more mature than the monochrome versions that LEGO has provided us by wagon so far in different boxes. The pad printing of the robot's head is very successful and the olive green torso gives a very "Kashyyyk" semblance of camouflage to these figurines.

For the rest, we will retain the discreet update of the pad printing of the face of Chief Tarfful with a look now more aggressive than on the version of the set 75043 AT-AP released in 2014. As usual with wookies, the minifig version doesn't really pay tribute to the size of these creatures, but we'll do with it.

The wookie blaster is still embodied by the 1989 musket, and while the accessory vaguely does the job, it's about time LEGO thought about a more accomplished version of this weapon.

Yoda is identical to the version seen in the sets 75017 Duel on Geonosis (2013) 75142 Homing Spider Droid (2016) et 75168 Yoda's Jedi Starfighter (2017). Still no patterns on the legs, a few folds in the minds of those on the chest would have been good. Shame about the bubbles in the lightsaber's blade. In 2019, it's a mess for a manufacturer of plastic toys, whatever the technical excuse that explains the presence of these bubbles.

In short, a box that will probably not fit in the Hall of Fame of the best sets in the LEGO Star Wars range, but which will allow those who still stood away from products in this range in 2014 to catch up.
This correct set but without real panache, will end like many others on sale one day or another. Be patient and you will save a few tens of euros on arrival. Amazon already offers it at a lower price than the LEGO Shop:

[amazon box="B07FNS9YSZ"]

Note: The set shown here, supplied by LEGO, is included as usual. To participate in the raffle, simply post a comment on this article before February 19, 2019 at 23:59 p.m.. You have every right to disagree with me, this is not eliminatory.

Update : The winner was drawn and was notified by email, his nickname is indicated below. Without a response from him to my request for contact details within 5 days, a new winner will be drawn.

The visuals for most of the sets in the LEGO Star Wars range expected in early 2019 are now available.

Some new things are on the program like the variations of the Praetorian Guard of Snoke and some remakes barely disguised as new ones are also announced as the sets 75233 Droid Gunship et 75234 AT-AP Walker which will allow those who missed the versions marketed in 2014 (75042 Droid Gunship et 75043 AT-AP) add these vehicles to their collections.

Note that the character of Iden Versio present in Battle Pack 75226 is taken from the Star Wars BattleFront II video game.

Three of the boxes presented here are stamped "4+". Like the defunct LEGO Juniors range, they offer simplified constructions suitable for the youngest.

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